Loader, particularly for forewinning and room mining



Dec. 1, 1964 KovAcs 3,159,265

LOADER, PARTICULARLY FOR FOREZWINNING AND ROOM MINING Filed Oct. 9, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. /J rm'n/ flax/4c;

Dec. 1, 1964 KovAcs 3,159,265

LOADER, PARTICULARLY FOR FOREWINNING AND ROOM M'INING Filed Oct. 9, 1961 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORY. Ayn 4W flaw cs Dec. 1, 1964 l. KOVACS 3,159,265

LOADER, PARTICULARLY FOR FOREWINNING AND ROOM MINING Filed Oct. 9, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR. Arm/v A OI ALIS United States 3,159,265 LDADER, PARTHTULARLY FQR FUREWENNENG AND ROOM MlNlNQ lstva'n Kovacs, Budapest, Hungary, assignor to Banyaszati Kutato lntezet, Budapest, Hungary Filed Oct. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 143,979 Claims priority, application Hungary, Get. 27, rest, Kt) 1,541 3 Ellaims. (11. 198 8) This invention relates to loaders, particularly for forewinning and room mining in low and medium-sized layers.

Mining loaders are generally supported by a crawler and are provided with loading devices of various constructions. The material discharged by the latter is furthered by conveyors of various kinds, such as band or scraper chain conveyors, to a delivery station. From this station the loaded material is further transported e.g. by trucks, belt conveyors or the like.

An advanced design of such loaders requires a reduction of their sizes and an increase of their outputs. Such requirements are particularly difficult to fulfill if the loader is destined to be operated on loose mine floors against unusually broad breasts. Under such circumstances, the chain tracks of hitherto used loaders are often liable to become buried when operated, so that no suitable outputs can be obtained. It has been suggested to arrange loading devices for horizontal angular displacement with respect to their underframe or to use loaders with plough devices broader than usual. Such loaders are, however, too big to be easily operated and displaced in mines, besides being of intricate construction and, therefore, expensive.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a loader, particularly for forewinning and room mining in low and medium-sized layers, which combines the mobility of small sized loaders with the capability of engaging in broad heading or wall operations, and wherein a loading unit is arranged on a mobile support and consists of a pair of overhanging chain conveyor jibs mounted for mutual angular displacements around upright axles and of a conveyor with a feed station and a delivery station for being charged with bulk material to be loaded by said overhanging chain conveyor jibs, and drive means for operating said loading unit so as to advance bulk material to be loaded from said feed station to said delivery station.

Another object of the present invention is to attend breasts or headings of considerable breadth at possibly small crawler displacements.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide outrigger means for angularly displacing the aforesaid chain conveyor jibs, said outrigger means being operated manually or hydraulically, in combination or separately.

A further object of the present invention is to arrange said loading unit for angular displacement around a horizontal axle or axles so as to render the loader adjustable to various floors and to the nature of materials to be loaded.

3,l59,25 Patented ec. l, 1964 apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the loader according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show various sectional views of details taken along the lines III-III, IVIV and V--V, respectively, of FIG. 2.

In the drawings, reference character 9 designates a per se known crawler which, in the instant case, serves for a mobile support of the loader. The crawler 9 has an electromotor 10 for drive means and carries a loading unit which consists of a pair of similarly constructed overhanging chain conveyor jibs l1 and 12, and of a conveyor l3 co-operating therewith.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, said overhanging chain conveyor jibs ll and 12 are mounted for mutual angular displacements around upright axles l4 and 15, respectively, their most apart position being shown in solid lines of ordinary thickness whereas their closed position is represented by relatively thinner lines.

Details of the chain conveyor jibs are shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 which represent various sectional views of the jib ll. As is usual with coal cutters well known in the art, the jib 11 consists of a platform 16 and of a chain 17 adapted to revolve around the periphery of said platform. Some of the chain members carry blades or vanes 18 for attacking the material to be loaded and pushing it forward. The revolving motion of the chain 17 is effected by an electromotor 19 of the usual robust construction by the intermediary of a gear in a casing 2d and chain wheels (one of which is designated by reference character 21 in PEG. 5). The axle 14 is supported by an upright 22 of the gear casing 20 which has also a transverse bracket 23 the significance of which will be described hereinafter.

In FIG. 2, the electromotor l9 and the upper part of the gear with its casing 20 are removed so as to show the arrangement of the upright axle 14 more clearly. The dot-and-dash lines around the chain conveyor jibs 11 and 12 indicate the paths of the outmost points of said blades or vanes 18 with jib ill.

The conveyor 13 is, in the exemplary embodiment, of the usual scraper chain type with a hopper 24 for a feed station and with a delivery station 25 at its opposite extremity. its constructional details are irrelevant as regards the invention and, therefore, to a large part Another object of the present invention is to arrange Further objects and features of the invention will be omitted from the drawing. 0n the other hand, it is shown in FIG. 1 that the conveyor 13 is supported by and connected with the crawler 9 by means of a hydraulic or lifting ram 26 and by a horizontal axle 27, respectively, whereby the conveyor 13 is arranged for angular displacements in an upright plane (represented e.g. by dotdash line 28 in FIG. 2) around the axle 2-7. Thus, it is possible to adjust the loading unit ll, l2, 13 to various conditions of work and transport as well as to adapt it to the nature of the mine floor whereby its mobility and versatility are substantially increased. Moreover, the axle 27 is, in a manner known per se, arranged so as to be easily disconnected from the conveyor 13 which, then, can be lifted from the lifting ram 26 and removed from the crawler 9 whereafter it can be arranged on some other vehicle or replaced by another type of conveyor. The driving electric motor of the conveyor 13 is designated by reference character 29 in FIG. 2.

The delivery station 25 of the conveyor 13 co-op'erates, in the instant case, with an ordinary band conveyor 3& by which the material discharged by the loader is carried away to its destination. This band conveyor 30 is connected to the crawler 9 by a pair of register pins 31 in a manner known per so so that when the crawler 9 is displaced or advanced, the band conveyor Si? is automatically hauled therewith. p

The angular'disp-lacements of the. overhanging chain conveyor jibs 11 and 12 are, in the instant case, effected hydraulically by means of driving rods or outriggers 32 and 33 each of which is connected to the overhanging chain conveyor jibs l1 and 12 by journals 34 and 35, respectively, supported by the aforesaid brackets one of which has been designated'by reference character23 and described in connection with FIG. 5. The driving rods '32 and 33, at the ends opposite to their journalled extremities, carry double-action plungers (not shown) in hydraulic cylinders 36 and 37 which, in turn, are pivotallyconnected to the-body of the conveyor 13 by suitable pivot mounts 38 and 39, respectively. Control means for the hydraulic cylinders 36 and 37 are of theusualtype and, therefore, are not represented in the drawings as to their details.

Thus, the drive means of the illustrated embodiment of the loading unit consists of a pair of electromotors such as the electromotor 1h of the jib 11 or a like electric motor 40 for the jib 12 for revolving their chains (e.g. 17 of the hydraulic means 36 and 37 for the angular displacements of the jibs, and of the electric motor 29 for the conveyor 13, the crawler 9 being driven by its proper electric motor Iii as has been described above.

. In operation, the loader is brought in front of a heading to'be worked upon, by means ofits crawler 9, andinto a position wherein the overhanging chain conveyor jibs 11 and 12, in their open position, cover the breadth of the heading to be Worked upon. The electric motors 19, 40 and 29 are switched on whereupon the chains (e.g. 17) of the overhanging chain'conveyor jibs ill and 12 begin to revolve so that their adjacent strands run towards the hopper 24. The Scrapper chain, on the other hand, of the conveyor 13 revolves so that its upper strand runs from the hopper 24 to the delivery station 25.

The overhanging chain conveyor jibs 11' and 12 begin their work from their most apart position shown in normally thick solid lines in FIG. 2. While they are turned around their axles 14 and 15 by the hydraulic means 36 and 37 and the driving rods 32 and 33, respectively, so as to approach their closed position shown by relatively thinner lines, their chains loosen the material to be loaded and carry portions thereof towards the hopper 24. Thereby, a body of material to be loaded located over the surface area oia semicircle, is picked up by the overhanging chain conveyor jibs 11 and 12 and forwarded to the hopper 24 wherefrom the material is carried away by ments.

manner or within narrower limits of angular displace- Thus, the loader according to the invention can be adapted to working conditions within wide limits and is suitable to perform loading work for heading opera- 7 tions of considerably varying breadths.

instead of using the hydraulic drive means 36, 37 for angularly displacing the overhanging chain conveyor jibs, other means such as gear drives might be applied as well. Also the scrapper'chain of the conveyor 13 might be replaced by some other type of conveyor means, as the case However, they obviously could be asymmetrically arranged as well. Also it is. possible to combine overhanging chain conveyor jibs of diderent lengths if such jibs are required by some special conditions.

.What I claim is; p l. A loader, preferably for forewinning and room mining in low and medium-sized layers, comprising, in combination: amobile support; loading means mounted upon said mobile support, said loading means including a conveyor having a feed station and a delivery station, a plurality of upright axles disposed in front of said feeds-tation, and a plurality ofoverhanging chain conveyor jibs mounted for mutual angular displacement'around said upright axles, each of .said conveyor jibs comprising an endless chain reeved. about said jib, a plurality of pusher members supported in spaced relation to one another 7 about said endless chains for engaging the material to be the scrapper chain conveyor 13 onto the band conveyor 7 Obviously, the oscillating motion of the overhanging chain conveyor jibs l1 and 12 being effected hydraulically, the strains caused by the resistance of the mass of material attacked by the jibs cannot exceed a certain predetermined value, whereby breakages of the loader are eiiectively obviated. Striking against such resistance, the oscillatory movements of the jibs are arrested. The force, however, pushing them forward is maintained so that the attack on the materialis not interrupted. Meanwhile, the material being attacked is, eventually loosened by the revolving chains so that, at the end, the resistance of the material decreases and the angular displacement of the jibs will continue.

The overhanging chain conveyor jibs Hand 12, having reached their closed position, are again rotated by the double-action hydraulic. meansfid and 37 apart towards their open position, whereafter the crawler 9 isadvanced so as to enable the jibs 11 and 12 to attack further amounts of bulk material to be loaded. 1

Obviously, the overhanging chain conveyor jios can also loaded, said pusher members being secured on said endless chains and having a construction to maintain the shape and size of said material during the loading operation while moving the material inwardly and rearwardly of said jibs, said conveyor jibs being free of any means tending to segment the. material being loaded on said conveyor; and drive means for operating said loading means soas to advance bulk material to be loaded from said feed station to' said delivery station. t

2. A loader, preferably for forewinning and room mining in low and medium-sized layers,.comprising, in combination: amobile support; a loading means carried by said mobilesupport, said loading means comprising a conveyor with a. feed station and a delivery station, a pair of upright axles disposed ahead of said feed station, and a pair ofoverhanging chain conveyor jibs mounted for -mutual angular displacements around said upright axles, 7 said jibs charging said feed stationw-ith bulk material to be loaded, each of said conveyor jibs comprising an endless chain reeved about said jib, a. plurality of pusher members supported in spaced relation to one another about said endless chains fcrengaging the material to be loaded,

said pusher members being secured on said endless chains and having a construction to maintain the shape andsize or said material during the loading operation while moving the material inwardly and rearwardly of said jibs, said conveyor jibs being free of vany means tending to segment the material being loaded onQsaid conveyor;

hydraulically operated driving rod means for angularly' ing a front feeding station and a rear delivery station, a' I pair of vertical axles mounted on said support ahead of said feeding station, and a pair of overhanging chain conveyor jibs mounted for mutual angular displacement around said axles charging said conveyor with bulk material to be loaded, each of said conveyor jibs comprising and endless chain reeved about said jib, a plurality of pusher members supported in spaced relation to one another about said endless chains -for engaging the material to be loaded, said pusher members being secured on said endless chains and having a construction to maintain the shape and size of said material during the loading operation while moving the material inwardly and rearwardly of said jibs, said conveyor jibs being free of any means tending to segment the material being loaded on said 6 conveyor; means for interchangeably mounting said loading means upon said mobile support; and drive means for operating said loading means so that bulk material to be loaded is advanced from said feeding station to said delivery station.

References fiited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,884,672 Hauge Oct. 25, 1932 1,966,459 Osgood July 17, 1934 2,753,971 Ball July 10, 1956 3,061,290 Sibley Oct. 30, 1962 

1. A LOADER, PREFERABLY FOR FOREWINNING AND ROOM MINING IN LOW AND MEDIUM-SIZED LAYERS, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A MOBILE SUPPORT; LOADING MEANS MOUNTED UPON SAID MOBILE SUPPORT, SAID LOADING MEANS INCLUDING A CONVEYOR HAVING A FEED STATION AND A DELIVERY STATION, A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT AXLES DISPOSED IN FRONT OF SAID FEED STATION, AND A PLURALITY OF OVERHANGING CHAIN CONVEYOR JIBS MOUNTED FOR MUTUAL ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT AROUND SAID UPRIGHT AXLES, EACH OF SAID CONVEYOR JIBS COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CHAIN REEVED ABOUT SAID JIB, A PLURALITY OF PUSHER MEMBERS SUPPORTED IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT SAID ENDLESS CHAINS FOR ENGAGING THE MATERIAL TO BE LOADED, SAID PUSHER MEMBERS BEING SECURED ON SAID ENDLESS CHAINS AND HAVING A CONSTRUCTION TO MAINTAIN THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF SAID MATERIAL DURING THE LOADING OPERATION WHILE MOVING THE MATERIAL INWARDLY AND REARWARDLY OF SAID JIBS, SAID CONVEYOR JIBS BEING FREE OF ANY MEANS TENDING TO SEGMENT THE MATERIAL BEING LOADED ON SAID CONVEYOR; AND DRIVE MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID LOADING MEANS SO AS TO ADVANCE BULK MATERIAL TO BE LOADED FROM SAID FEED STATION TO SAID DELIVERY STATION. 